Means for orienting well tools in well bores



U O R H C Dn A E S Sept. 11, 1951 G. E. BROWN MEANS FOR ORIENTING WELLTOOLS IN WELL BORES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 16, 1949 INVENToR.

n W O f. B :L 0 4 We@ Po sgpf. 11, 1951 G. E. BROWN mm1-1 11m MEANS FORORIENTING WELL TOOLS IN WELL BORES Filed Nov. 16, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2@Uy Bron/vh INVENTR.

SMH'UH Km Sept. 11, 1951 G. E. BROWN 2,567,507

MEANS ORIENTING WELL TOOLS IN WELL BORES I Filed Nov. 1e, 1949 ssheets-sheet s @fly /f/V/,Q/l/g/l'Q/x/A///////////////y INVENTOR. Ivnu/L MWL) Patented Sept. 11, 1951 Sti-MH Huur MEAN S FOR ORIENTING WELLTOOLS IN WELL BORES Guy Eastman Brown, Houston, Tex., assignor ofone-half to H. John Eastman, Denver, Colo.

Application November 16, 1949, Serial No. 127,729

(Cl. Z55- 1.6)

13 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in means fororienting well tools in a well bore.

As is well known, the drilling of directional wells has come intogeneral practice and such directional drilling involves the orientationof deecting tools, such as a whipstock, within the well bore, wherebythe well may be drilled at an angle in the desired compass direction.Various methods and apparatus for accomplishing the orientation of toolshave been devised and one method includes the orientation of the drillpipe as it is lowered into the hole; this method is subject to thedisadvantage that considerable additional time is required for therunning of the pipe while the various determinations and measurementsare made.

More recently so-called bottom hole methods of tool orientation havebeen used wherein the drill pipe is lowered in the usual manner afterwhich a well survey instrument is lowered through the drill pipe to thelower end thereof and a record is made; the instrument is then retrievedand brought to the surface so that the record may be read andinterpreted to obtain information regarding the position of thedeiiecting tool. Although the bottom hole methods of orientation aresomewhat faster than those wherein the entire drill pipe must beoriented as it is run, such bottom hole method still requires some rigtime since the rig is idle while the instrument is run, operated,retrieved and the record interpreted. During this interval the drillpipe must remain stationary which is undesirable because of the dangerof cave-in of the formation with the resultant possibility of stickingthe entire drill string.

Some attempts have been made, as exemplified by the prior patent toPalmer, 2,012,138, to provide a method whereby a signal is transmittedto the surface when the deiiecting tool reaches a known azimuthalposition but up to the present time, these methods have provenimpractical because the fluid column in the bore hole absorbs the signalbefore it reaches the surface and particularly in bore holes of deeperdepths no signal is obtainable at the surface.

vIt is one object of this invention to provide an improved method fororienting a well tool within a well bore, wherein the tool and drillpipe may be lowered into the bore hole in the usual manner, after whichthe circulating pumps may be operated to effect an automatic orientationof the well tool, whereby no rig time is lost in setting said tool.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improvedorientation method for deiiecting tools which includes, the step oflowering the deecting tool on the drill pipe in the normal manner, thenutilizing the usual drilling fluid which is circulated downwardlythrough the drill pipe to impart a rotation to the deecting tool, andfinally locking the deiiecting tool in the desired oriented positionupon said tool reaching such position, whereby the tool is properlyoriented by merely carrying out the usual operations which are normallyrequired so that no additional time is needed for orientation, as is thecase with the orientation methods now in general use.

Another object is to provide an improved orienting apparatus for welltools wherein the pressure of the normally circulated drilling fluid isutilized to effect the orientation and to lock the tool in its orientedposition.

Still another object is to provide an orienting apparatus, of thecharacter described, wherein the well tool is rotatably mounted on thelower portion of the drill pipe and wherein pressureactuated meanshaving connection with the tool functions to rotate said tool intooriented position, together with a compass unit and connecting means forrotatably connecting the well tool to the drill pipe when the toolreaches a predetermined oriented position; said compass unit controllingactuation of the connecting means in an automatic manner, whereby theorientation of the tool is accomplished in a minimum time and withsubstantially no additional work on the part of the operator.

Still a further object is to provide an orienting apparatus which isadapted to be connected in the drill pipe and which is extremely ruggedin construction, whereby it forms part of the drill string and does notinterfere with the usual drilling operations.

A particular object is to provide a well tool orienting apparatus havinga tubular piston therein which upon movement co-acts with an inneractuating mandrel to impart rotative movement thereto, with said mandrelhaving connection with the well tool to be oriented to rotate said tool;the apparatus also including-compass-controlled electrically operatedmeans for operating a connecting element which functions to set up adriving rotative connection between the well tool and the drill pipewhen the tool reaches a predetermined oriented position, whereby asubsequent drilling operation in a desireddirection may be carried out.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for orientinga well tool within a well bore which is constructed'so that the tool maybe oriented after which the apparatus may be reset and the tool againoriented without removal from the well bore, whereby an accurate checkto assure that proper orientation of the tool has been effected may beaccomplished.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawingsforming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown,and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an orienting apparatus, constructed inaccordance with the invention, connected in the drill string andillustrating the deflecting tool to be oriented as a whipstock, with theassembly being shown in a well bore prior to orientation of the tool,

Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating a drilling operation beingperformed off of the face of the deilecting tool,

Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical sectional view of the upper portionof the apparatus,

Figure 4 is a continuation of Figure 3, showing the intermediate portionof the tool with the actuating piston in a raised position,

Figure 5 is a continuation of Figure 4, illustrating the lower portionof the tool,

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 4 of the intermediate portion ofthe tool with the actuating piston in a lowered position,

Figure '7 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view, taken on the line 'I-'Iof Figure 3,

Figure 8 is a horizontal. cross-sectional view, taken on the line 8-8 ofFigure 3,

Figure 9 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view, taken on the line 9-9 ofFigure 4, and

Figure 10 is a schematic view of the compass unit arrangement and itsrelationship to the operating mandrel.

In the drawings, the numeral I0 designates a drill pipe which is adaptedto be connected with the usual drill bit II by means of the improvedorienting apparatus A. A whipstock I2 having the usual collar I3encircles the bit shank and is connected thereto by means of a frangibleshear pin I4. The bore I3'a of the whipstock collar is of lesserdiameter than the outside diameter of the bit blades IIa of the bit andtherefore when the pin I4 has been sheared the bit may be utilized toretrieve the whipstock. The particular whipstock and bit arrangementforms no part of the present invention but is the usual constructionemployed in the directional drilling of well bores.

The assembly which includes the drill pipe I 0, orienting apparatus A,drill bit II and whipstock I2 is adapted to be lowered within a wellbore W Within which a directional drilling operation is to be carriedout. Upon reaching the position at which the whipstock I2 is to be setthe lower end of the whipstock is engaged with the bottom of the wellbore or with a plug (not shown) within said bore, and after thewhipstock face ,I2a is properly oriented, as will be explained, the pinI4 is sheared to disconnect the bit and drill pipe from the whipstock.It is then possible to carry out a directional drilling operation asillustrated in Figure 2 with the drill bit II being guided downwardlyalong the inclined face I2a of the whipstock. After the directionaldrilling operation which forms an angular or deflected bore W' iscomplete the drill pipe I0 and bit II are pulled upwardly and theengagement of the bit with the whipstock collar functions to retrievethe whipstock as the drill pipe is withdrawn from the bore.

The foregoing is usual directional drilling practice and the presentinvention resides in the apparatus A which is adapted to effect anorientation or proper positioning of the whipstock I2 whereby the faceof said-whipstock is disposed in a desired compass or azimuthal positionso that drilling in a desired direction may be subsequently carried out.The apparatus A is clearly shown in Figures 3 to 5 and includes a maintubular body or casing 20 which has its upper end connected through acoupling 2I with a special sub 22. The upper portion of the sub has athreaded connection with the lower end of the drill pipe I0. The mainbody 20 has an axial bore 20a and a tubular piston 23 is slidablymounted within said bore. The piston 23 is nonrotatable within the body20 and is held against rotation therein by means of elongate keys 24secured to the piston and movable within vertically extending grooves orrecesses 25 provided in the wall of the bore of the body. The piston 23is normally urged toward an upper position as shown in Figure 4 by meansof a trio of coiled springs 26 which are conned between the under sideof the piston and a supporting ring 2'I which is welded or otherwisesecured to the inner wall of the body nearer the lower end thereof.Guide pins or bolts 28 and 29 secured to the lower end of the piston 23and upper surface of the ring 2'I, respectively, function to retain theends of each spring 26 in place. Any desired number of springs may beprovided but as illustrated in Figure 9, three springs 26 have beenfound suicient to maintain the piston 23 in its uppermost position. Thepiston has an axial bore 23a, the upper end of which is closed by atransverse plate 30, which plate is formed with fluid ports or openings3I. A suitable packing ring 32 seals off between the piston and the boreof the body 20.

The piston 23 will be hereinafter referred to as the actuating pistonand as noted this piston is normally maintained in its uppermostposition by the springs 26. The piston is adapted to impart a rotationto an operating mandrel. which mandrel is disposed within the bore 23aof the piston. The external surface-of the mandrel 33 is formed with aspiral or helical groove 34 and an actuating pin 35 which is secured inthe inner wall of the body 23 engages within the groove 34. When thepiston is in a raised position the actuating pin is nearer the upper endof the spiral or helical groove 34 of the mandrel 33 as is shown inFigure 4. Upon downward movement of the piston within the bore 20a ofthe body 20 the coaction between the actuating pin 35 and the spiralgroove 34 will impart a rotation to the mandrel 33. The mandrel isprovided with an axial bore 36 extending entirely therethrough and theupper end of the bore is closed by a cover or plate member 3'I havingfluid openings or ports 38 therein. A suitable packing ring 39 carriedby the upper end of the mandrel seals oi between the mandrel and thebore 23a of the piston.

An elongate rod or stem 40 has its lower end secured in the cover member31 of the mandrel 33 and this rod extends upwardly through a centralopening 4I provided in the cover plate 30 which closes the upper end ofthe piston. A suitable packing ring 42 seals olf between the rod 40andthe plate 30. The rod or stem proasomo? jects upwardly through thebore 2|a, of thev cou-j pling 2| and then into an axial chamber 43 whichis formed within the sub 22. The chamber 43 has its lower end closed bya closure disc 44 and sealing oil around the rod 40 which enters thechamber 43 is accomplished by a seal lring 45. The upper end of the rodcarries a compass unit B which will hereinafter be described in detailand said compass unit is disposed within the chamber 43. The sub 22' isprovided with a plurality of fluid circulating passages 46 which arespaced equally around the chamber 43 and said passages establishcommunication between the interior of the drill pipe In and the areaabove theactuating piston 23; in other words, said passages provideby-passes around` the chamber 43 within which the compass unit B ishoused.

It will be evident that with the piston in its raised position asillustrated in Figure 4, the actuating pin 35 will be disposed withinthe upper portion of the spiral groove 34 in the operating mandrel. Whenpressure fluid is conducted downwardly through the drill stem I0, thisiluid is directed through the by-pass openings 46 and against the upperend of the tubular piston 23 to move said piston downwardly against thepressure of the springs 26. As will be explained, the mandrel 33 is heldagainst longitudinal movement with respect to the piston and thedownward movement of the piston will result in the actuating pin 35coacting with the spiral slot 34 of the mandrel to impart a rotation tothe mandrel. This rotation of the mandrel will rotate the rod or stem 40which carries the compass unit B and will result in a rotation of theouter casing of said compass unit.

The compass unit B is clearly shown in Figures 7, 8 and 10 and includesan outer cylindrical casing 41 which has its upper end closed by anadjustable cover member 48. A compass card 49 is mounted on a suitablepivot 50 on the base of the casing and the casing as well as the specialsub '22 is constructed of a non-magnetic material whereby the compassmay be attracted to magnetic north in the usual manner. The compass cardis provided with a radially extending lightadmitting slot which islocated at a desired compass point; as shown, the slot 5| is locatedopposite the indication north The adjustable cover 48 for the casing 41is also formed with a radially disposed light-admitting slot 52 and thisslot may be adjusted in any desired angular relationship in verticalplanes with respect to the slot 5| of the compass card. A light source53 is carried by a bracket 54 secured to the cover and said light sourceis in alignment with the radial slot 52 in said cover so as to directlight rays downwardly through said slot. The rotatable rod or stem 40has a photoelectric cell 56 mounted thereon by means of anlv adjustableclamp 51 and this photoelectric cell is aligned in a vertical plane withthe light source and slot 52.

It will be evident that by observing Figure is 10 that the light sourceis constantly directing a beam of light through the slot 52 in the coverof the casing 41 and the light beam attempting to reach thephotoelectric cell in alignment with When the slot 52 in the casing 41becomes aligned with the slot 5| in the compass card the light beampasses to the photoelectric cell 56 and closes an electric circuit aswill be hereinafter explained and halts further rotation of the mandrel.Rotation of the mandrel is utilized to rotate the whipstock |2 and thus,when the circuit is closed by the rotation of the compass unit into aposition allowing the light beam to strike the photoelectric cellfurther rotation of the whipstock will be prevented. It is evident thatby properly adjusting the slot 52 in the cover 48 of the casing withrespect to the north point, as represented by the slot 5| in the compasscard, it will be possible to dispose the whipstock face in any desiredposition.

For transmitting the rotation of the mandrel 33 to the whipstock thelower end of the mandrel is formed with a counter-bore 58 and theshoulder formed between this counter-bore and the main bore36 of themandrel isformed with ratchet teeth 59.. A ratchet head 60 is formed atthe upper end of a connecting mandrel 6| and the connecting mandrel isrotatably coupled to the operating mandrel 33 by a connecting pin 62 onthe operating mandrel which engages an annular groove 63 below theratchet head 60 of the connecting mandrel. It is. noted that the groove63 .is of` greater width than the pin 62 whereby the mandrels mayundergo a limited longitudinal kmovement with respect to each other. Theconnecting mandrel 6|` has a gear ring 64 secured thereon soas to berotatable therewith and this gear ring is disposed within the lowerportion of the bore of the body. The gear ring is mounted on ballbearings 65 which are supported on an internal shoulder 66 formed withinthe body. A shank Bla extends downwardly from the gear ring 64 and hasits lower end projecting from the lower end of the body 20. I'his shankis connected by the usual type of connecting sub 61 with the drill bitIl. As illustrated, the shear pin I4 connects the whipstock collar I3with the sub .61 which in eiect forms an extension of the shank of thebit Il.

The gear ring 64 is formed with ratchet type gear teeth 68 on its uppersurface and it is apparent that since the gear ring has connectionwiththe mandrel 6I a rotation of this mandrel by the operating mandrel33 will impart rotation to the gear ring as well as to the dependingshank 6|0L and sub 61 connected therewith. With the sub 61 pinned to thewhipstock collar through the shear pin I4 it will be evident that arotation of the operating mandrel 33 will result in a rotation of thewhipstock.

For halting the rotation of-the whipstock when said whipstock reaches apredetermined oriented position a clutch collar 69 surrounds theconnecting mandrel 6I and is slidable thereon, said collar beingdisposed Within the lower portion of the body 20 above the gear ring 64.The clutch collar is formed with ratchet type teeth 10 on its lower endwhich are adapted to inter-engage with the teeth 68 of the gear ring.The clutch collar is keyed within the body by keys 1| which engage thelongitudinal grooves or recesses 25 which are formed in the wall of thebore 20a of the body 20.

The clutch collar 69 is normally held in a raised position with respectto the gear ring 64 by means of a spring pressed latch 12 which ispivoted on the supporting ring 21 located within the lower portion ofthe body. An electrical solenoid 13 has its armature 14 engaging thelatch and 7 when the solenoid is energized the latch 12 is swung todisengage its end from beneath an overhanging shoulder 15 formed in theupper end of the clutch collar 69. Thus, when the solenoid is energizedthe clutch collar is released by the latch 12 to permit said collar tofall downwardly into an engagement with the gear ring 64. Since thecollar 69 is keyed within the body which is stationary due to its beingconnected with' the drill stem it will be evident that engagement of thecollar with the gear ring will halt further rotation of the connectingmandrel and whipstock as well as further rotation of the operatingmandrel 33. The power for the electrical solenoid 13 as well as for theelectric lamp 53 of the com- I pass unit is supplied by a dry cellbattery 16 (Figure 9) which is disposed within the lower portion of thebody between two of the springs 26. Suitable wires (not shown) extendfrom the battery to the solenoid and upwardly from the solenoid to acommutator brush 11 mounted within the upper portion of the body 20(Figure 4). The brush 11 is in constant engagement with a cornmutatorring 18 mounted on the rotating rod or shaft 40 and the ring iselectrically connected through wires which may extend through the stemor rod 40 within the photoelectric cell 56 and the lamp 53.

In the operation of the apparatus the compass unit is rst properlyadjusted to locate the slot 52 in the cover of the compass unit casing41 in a proper angular relationship to theslot 5| in the compass. Thisangular position is determined j by the position which the whipstockface is to assume when it is set within the well bore W. Ify

the slot 52 is in vertical alignment with. the whipstock face it will beevident that the circuit is closed through the photoelectric cell whenthe whipstock is due north because it is at this time that the lightbeam will pass through the alignedr` slots 52 and 5|. However, if theslot 52 is misaligned angularly in a vertical plane with respect to thewhipstock face, the electrical circuit will be closed when the whipstockface is the adjusted number of degrees from north.

After the slot 52 has been properly adjusted in a predetermined mannerwith respect to the face |2a of the whipstock I2 the apparatus isassembled as shown in Figure l with the whipstock being connected to theinner mandrel assembly to the shear pin. At this time the actuatingpiston 23 is in a raised position and is held so by the springs 26 withthe clutch collar being latched in its upper disengaged position.

Upon reaching the bottom of the well bore or upon striking the plugwithin the bore at which elevation the whipstock is to be set, theapparatus is raised slightly off of bottom and the circulation of theusual drilling Iluid under pressure is carried out. This drilling uidunder pressure will ilow downwardly through the drill pipe and throughthe by-passes 46 around the compass unit chamber 43 and will be appliedto the upper end of the actuating piston 23. As the piston movesdownwardly under this pump pressure the coaction between the pin 35 ofthe spiral groove 34 will impart a rotation to the operating mandrel 33which will through its ratchet tooth connection 59 impart a similarrotation to the connecting mandrel 6| and the sub 61 to which thewhipstool: is connected. Thus, the application of fluid pressure to thepiston 23 will result in a rotation of the whipstock I 2.

At the same time that the whipstock is being rotated rotation isimparted to the compass unit casing 41 through the stem or rod 40 andthis causes the slot 52 in the cover of said casing to rotate arounduntil it becomes aligned with the slot 5| in the compass card. The slot5| in the compass card, as has been explained, is representative of thenorth position. Upon alignment of the slots 52 and 5| a light beam isprojected to the photoelectric cell which functions to close theelectrical circuit to the relay or solenoid 13' and such solenoidactuates the latch 12 to permit the floating clutch collar 69 to dropdownwardly into engagement with the gear ring 64. The gear ring, beingsecured to the mandrel, will immediately halt further rotation of themandrel because the gear ring is thereby locked through the clutchcollar with the body 23 to which the drill pipe is connected. Thus, assoon as the slots 52 and 5| are aligned further rotation of thewhipstock by the rotating mandrel 33 is prevented. The slots havingpreviously been adjusted the alignment of said slots locates thewhipstock in the desired oriented position. The continued application ofpump pressure will cause the circulating fluid to pass downwardlythrough the bore 23a of the piston 23 and then through the bore 36 ofthe operating mandrel 33. From this point the fluid will ow through anaxial bore 19 formed in the connecting mandrel 6| and shank Gla andthrough the tubular connecting sub 61 to the bit Il. It is noted thatthis circulation will be in a normal manner except for the slightrestrictions which will be formed by the openings 3| and 38 in theclosures 30 and 31 of the piston 23 and mandrel 33, respectively,

After orientation of the whipstock is complete the assembly is moveddownwardly to engage the bottom of the whipstock with the lower end ofthe well bore or with a cement plug and the weight of the drill pipe isthen utilized to cause the body 20 to move downwardly a slight distanceuntil the ring 21 within the body engages the upper end of the clutchcollar 69. The continued imposition of weight of the drill pipe is thentransferred through the clutch collar and gear ring to the sub 61 andsince the whipstock is held stationary by its engagement with the bottomof the well the weight of the drill pipe may be utilized to shear thepin I4 and thereafter a continued downward movement of the drill pipewill cause the drill bit to travel downwardly along the whipstock faceand subsequent rotation of the drill pipe will perform the directionaldrilling operation. When the directional drilling operation iscompletemit is only necessary to lift upwardly on the drill pipe and theshoulder 66 within the lower portion of the body 23l will engage thegear ring 64 to lift the bit into engagement with the whipstock collar,whereby the whipstock may be retrieved upon withdrawal of the drillpipe.

One of the features of the orienting apparatus is that said apparatusmay be reset any number of times in the event that the operator is notsatised that the rst setting is correct. Assuming the apparatus to be inthe position shown in Figure 4 prior to the setting the pump pressure isapplied to rotate the inner mandrel and the compass unit casing 41. Uponproper alignment of the light-admitting slots 5| and 52 the clutchcollar is unlatched and dropped into engagement with the gear ring tolock the whipstock against further rotation. If it is now desired toreset the apparatus and again orient thewhipstock the drill pipe may belowered until the whipstock strikes the bottom of the well bore whichrenders the gear ring 64 and its attached connecting tdifibn new.

9. mandrel 6l stationary. Further lowering of the drill pipe causes thebody 23 to move downwardly a slight distance with respect to the gearring 64 and since the body carries the latch the lower end of the latchmay be reengaged with the clutch collar 69. Then by lifting the drillpipe and bodBr the clutch collar` 69 will be lifted and returned to theposition shown in Figure 4. At this time pump pressure can again beapplied to the piston which had been previously returned to its originalposition by release of pump pressure to again operate the apparatus andreorient the whipstock. It is therefore possible to reset and reorientthe whipstock any number of times before actu-ally shearing the pin I4.

The ratchet connection 59 and 60 between the operating mandrel 33 andthe mandrel 6I which carries the gear ring is provided for the purposeof allowing the actuating piston 23 to return to its upper position whenpump pressure is released and without imparting a reverse rotation tothe mandrel 6|. It will be evident that after the piston has been moveddownwardly to the position shown in Figure 6 a release of pump pressurewill cause the springs 26 to return the piston to its upper position.Upon such return the coaction between the actuating pin 35 and thespiral slot 34 will rotate the mandrel 33 in a reverse direction. Suchreverse rotation of the mandre1 33 may occur through the ratchet 59without imparting such reverse rotation to the connecting mandrel 6I andits attached parts.

The apparatus provides an efficient orienting apparatus which may beconnected in the drill string and which will effectively orient a welltool. It is apparent that the drill pipe may be run into the well borein the usual manner and without any loss of time; after reaching bottomit is only necessary to begin circulation of the usual drilling fluidunder pressure and this pressure nuid functions to properly orient thetool. After orientation the subsequent drilling operation may beimmediately carried out. There is no necessity for orienting the drillpipe into the well nor is there any instrument required for making arecord which must be interpreted before final setting of the tool can bemade. The apparatus thus provides means for orientation of well toolswithout the necessity of any additional or auxiliary operations andwithout the loss of any regular time. The construction of the apparatusmakes it possible to reset and reorient the tool several times whichwill assure that the position of the tool is in the desired azimuthalposition.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain al1 of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth,together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherentto the Structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A well tool orienting apparatus including, a tubular body adapted tobe connected with a drill pipe, a mandre1 rotatably mounted within 10the body and connected with the well tool to be oriented,pressure-actuated means within the body having an operative connectionwith the mandrel for imparting rotation to the mandrel and well tool,and connecting means for connecting the mandrel to the body forpreventing further rotation of the mandrel with respect to the body whenthe mandrel has undergone a rotation which locates the well toolconnected thereto in a predetermined azimuthal position.

2. A Well tool orienting apparatus including, a tubular body adapted tobe connected with a drill pipe, a mandre1 rotatably mounted within thebody and connected with the well tool to be oriented, pressure-actuatedmeans within the body having an operative connection with the mandrelfor imparting rotation to the mandrel and well tool, and connectingmeans for connecting the mandrel to the body for preventing furtherrotation of the mandre1 with respect to the body, and a compass unitmounted within the body for operating the connecting means when the welltool has been rotated into a predetermined azimuthal position.

3. A well tool orienting apparatus including, a tubular body adapted tobe connected with a drill pipe, a mandre1 rotatably mounted within thebody and connected with the well tool to be oriented, pressure-actuatedmeans within the body having an operative connection with the mandrelfor imparting rotation to the mandrel and well tool, a compass unitcarried by the rotatable mandrel, interengageable co-acting means onsaid mandre1 and within the body for connecting these parts to preventindependent rotation of the mandrel relative to the body, andelectrically operated means controlled by the compass unit forcontrolling the interengageable means, whereby the mandrel and body areconnected together when said mandrel has rotated the well tool into apredetermined azimuthal position.

4. An orienting apparatus vfor well tools including, a tubular bodyadapted to be connected with a drill pipe and lowered therewith within awell bore, a mandrel rotatably mounted within the body and connectedwith the well tool to be oriented, a piston slidably mounted within thebore of the body and movable downwardly therein by the pressure of afluid circulated downwardly through the drill pipe and body, andco-acting means on the piston and mandrel for converting the downwardmovement of the piston into a rotative motion, whereby the mandrel isrotated to rotate the well tool into a predetermined oriented position.

5. An orienting apparatus for well tools including, a tubular bodyadapted to be connected with a drill pipe and lowered therewith within awell bore, a mandrel rotatably mounted within the body and connectedwith the well tool to be oriented, a piston slidably mounted within thebore of the body and movable downwardly therein by the pressure of afluid circulated downwardly through the drill pipe and body, coactingmeans on the piston and mandrel for converting the downward movement ofthe piston into a rotative motion, whereby the mandrel is rotated torotate the well tool, and means for halting the rotative movement of themandrel and well tool when the well tool is located in a predeterminedazimuthal position within the well bore.

6. An orienting apparatus for well tools including, a tubular bodyadapted to be connected with a drill pipe and lowered therewith tWithina Well 11 bore, a. mandrel rotatably mounted within the body andconnected with the Well tool to be oriented, a piston slidably mountedwithin the bore of the body and movable downwardly therein by thepressure of a fluid circulated downwardly through the drill pipe andbody, co-acting means on the piston and mandrel for converting thedownward movement ofthe piston into a rotative motion, whereby themandrel is rotated to rotate the well tool, normally disengaged means onthe mandrel and tubular body for connecting said mandrel and body toprevent relative rotation of the mandrel with respect to thebody, andacompass unit carried by the mandrel for controlling the engagement ofthe normally disengaged means whereby said last-named means is engagedwhen the mandrel has been rotated to locate the well tool in apredetermined'azimuthal position.

7. An orienting apparatus for welltools including, a tubular bodyadapted to be connected with a drill pipe and lowered therewith within awell bore, a mandrel rotatably mounted within the body andA connectedwith the well tool to be oriented, a pistonslidably mounted within .thebore of the body and movable downwardly therein by the pressure vof ailuid `circulated downwardly through the drill pipe'and bo'dy, co-actingmeans on the piston 'and mandrel for converting the downward movement ofthe piston into a rotative motion, whereby the mandrel 'is'rotated torotate the well to'ol, a toothed gear ring on the mandrel, acomplementary gear collar keyed within the body and adapted when engagedwith the ring to connect the mandrel and body together to preventfurtherindependent rotative movement of the mandrel relative to thecollar, and means for normally holding the collar out of engagement withthe ring and for'engaging said collar and ring -when the mandrel hasrotated the`well .tool'into a predetermined azi' lwardly through thevdrill pipe and body, co-acting means on the piston and mandrel for con#verting the downward movement of the piston into a rotative motion,whereby the mandrel is rotated to rotate the well tool, a toothed gearring on the mandrel, a complementary gear Acollar keyed within the bodyand adapted when engaged with the ring to connect the mandrel and bodytogether to prevent further independent rotative movement of the mandrelrelative to the collar. a latch for normally holding the gear out ofengagement with the gear ring, and means for operating said latch toengage the collar and ring when the mandrel has rotated the well toolinto apredetermined azimuthal position.

9. An orienting apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the means foroperating said latch comprises an electrical solenoid and a compass unitcarried by the mandrel and having electrical circuit closing means forclosing the electrical circuit to the solenoid when the mandrel hasrotated the well tool into a predetermined azimuthal position.

10. An orienting apparatus for a dellecting tool including, a tubularbody adapted to be connected with a drill pipe and lowered therewithwithin a well bore, a mandrel rotatably mounted within the body andextending'from one end thereof and connected withthe deiiecting tool tobeoriented, a tubular piston slidablewithin the body and interposedbetween the mandrel' and borevofthe body and normally maintained in araised position within the body, a co-acting pin and spiral slotconnection between the piston and mandrel whereby movement of the pistonrotates the mandrel and deflecting tool relative to the body,

said piston being movable downwardly by pressure fluid circulateddownwardly through the drill pipe and body, and means for haltingrotation of the mandrel with respect to the body when the mandrel hasrotated the' well tool to a predetermined azimuthal position.

ll. An orienting apparatus asv set forth in claim 10, wherein the meansfor halting therotation of the'mandrel relative to the tubular bodycomprises a gear ring mounted on the mandrel land a gear collar keyedwithinthe bore of the ody.

l2. An orienting apparatusV as set forth in claim l0, wherein the meansfor halting the rotation of the mandrel relative to thetubular bodycomprises a gear ring mountedon' the mandrel and a gear collar keyedwithin the bore of the No references cited.

